1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to soft play figures having an animal-like or humanoid soft form, and more particularly to a figure of this type capable of functioning as a missile which when thrown by a player will spin, do flip-flops or execute other excursions in flight, depending on how the appendages of the figure are grasped by the player.
2. Status of Prior Art
The typical inflatable beach ball of the type in commercial use at outdoor swimming pools and beaches is made from 6 to 8 mil polyvinyl film material, the ball being provided with a valved air inlet so that it can be inflated by mouth.
Such thin-skinned beach balls are usually made in a diameter greater than that of a basketball or soccer ball, and they are relatively very light in relation to their surface area. As a consequence, the typical light-weight beach ball offers a much greater surface area to air than smaller balls, and little resistance to wind deflection, so that the ball cannot be thrown very far, and on a windy day it is almost impossible to play with on a beach.
Because even a light wind deflects the beach ball, when the ball is thrown from one player to another, it is more likely to land in the water rather than in the hands of a player, and when blown into the water, the ball may be propelled to a distant point from which it cannot readily be recovered. Children often lose beach balls because of wind conditions. But apart from the difficulty of playing with a light-weight play ball under windy conditions is that its lack of weight imposes other limitations on the ball.
My prior U.S. Pat. No., Spector, 4,834,352, discloses a pneumatic play ball having an outer casing formed of non-stretchable material which when fully expanded assumes a ball configuration. Within the casing is an inflatable balloon whose stem initially projects through a small port in the casing. When the balloon is inflated, it expands to engage and conform to the inner surface of the casing, after which the stem is tied and pushed within the port whereby the balloon is then fully encased. While a ball of the type disclosed in this prior patent has distinct advantages over conventional beach balls, it is still lacking in weight and subject to wind deflection.
To overcome this drawback, my later prior Spector U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,381 discloses a variable weight play ball in which weight is imparted thereto by a layer of water which is uniformly and symmetrically distributed throughout the ball regardless of the thickness of the layer, whereby the play characteristics of the ball are comparable to those of conventional heavy balls of high quality.
This variable-weight play ball has an inflatable inner bladder of elastomeric material disposed within a non-stretchable outer casing of flexible material to create a water region therebetweeen. The outer casing is provided with a valved water inlet through which water is introduced into the water region in an amount which depends on the desired weight of the ball. The inner bladder is provided with a valved air inlet which projects through the outer casing and is accessible from the ball exterior, thereby making it possible to blow up the inner bladder to the degree necessary to cause the water in the region to become evenly distributed therein to create a spherical water layer pressed between the bladder and the casing, the thickness of the layer determining the weight and play characteristics of the ball.
Balloon balls of the type disclosed in my prior patents have a form which is strictly utilitarian, and the flight characteristics of these balls are not very different from conventional light-weight or weighted balls. And while it is possible for the thrower to impart a spin to a conventional ball so that it rotates in the course of its flight, we cannot usually see this spin.
It is not uncommon for children in playing with plush or other soft dolls and figures to throw these toys in play activity. Children also engage in pillow fights in which they attack each other with soft pillows. But soft figures or pillows can be thrown only short distances, for they lack the flight characteristics of a ball.
In my copending application Ser. No. 840,022, entitled Figurative Toy Missile, there is disclosed a figurative toy missile in animal-like or humanoid soft form defined by a head and a torso having appendages extending therefrom. The missile structure is such that when the missile is thrown by a player, it will spin, or execute other excursions in flight, depending on how the appendages are grasped by the player. The torso is formed by an outer fabric casing enclosing a rubber balloon inflated with water, whereby the torso functions as a weighted ball.
The head is formed by a shaped fabric bag attached to the upper end of the torso casing, the bag being filled with soft stuffing. The appendages which constitute the legs and feet are formed by a pair of shaped, elongated fabric sleeves attached to the lower end of the torso casing and filled with soft stuffing. And the appendages which constituted the arms and hands or the forelegs are formed by a pair of shaped, elongated fabric sleeves attached to opposite sides of the torso casing and filled with soft stuffing. When the player grasps the missile by one or more of its appendages and then throws it, the missile will then spin or execute other movements in flight, depending on how the appendages are grasped.
The normal flying characteristics of this figurative toy missile are essentially similar to those of a weighted spherical ball in which the weight is symmetrically distributed, for the stuffed head and appendages attached to the ball-like torso have relatively little weight. Thus the weighted spherical torso in flight exhibits both horizontal and vertical spins, causing it to fly in a more or less steady plane. This limits the movements which the missile is capable of executing in the course of its flight.